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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2003;24:1043-1045
© 2003 Elsevier Science NL

Case report

Boxer’s pericardium

^a Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, UK
^b Department of Medicine and Cardiology, QE Hospital, Norfolk, UK

Received 15 July 2003; accepted 22 August 2003.

^* Corresponding author. 64, Andes Close, Ocean Village, Southampton SO14 3HS, UK. Tel.: +44-2380-339-054; fax: +44-2380-339-054
e-mail: adrianooisw{at}yahoo.co.uk

A 65-year-old retired professional boxer presented with progressively worsening shortness of breath, peripheral oedema and mild abdominal swelling over a period of 6 months. His only past medical history was hypertension. Subsequent investigations revealed chylous ascites, pericardial constriction and bilateral chylothorax. He had uneventful pericardectomy, and post-operatively the chylothorax resolved only after administration of octreotide for 10 days. The histopathological features of fibrosis, haemosiderin deposition in the pericardium and abundant haemosiderin-laden macrophages are consistent with chronic resolving haemopericardium. These findings suggested that the cause of pericardial constriction was repeated chest trauma from boxing.

Key Words: Pericardial constriction • Boxing • Chylothorax • Octreotide